Mel's tourism tips

Appears in 3 episodes, first in episode 284.

Every appearance

• Episode 307 - Cops & Robbers

  Melissa Ellis closes her home-event report with a flood-themed tip: "This week's tourist tip is... Stay off the roads during extreme weather events and never, never drive through floodwaters. This has been a public service announcement."

• Episode 288 - Travel Tips

  Melissa Ellis's recurring travel-advice bit, and the source of the episode title. This week's tip: research the route Google Maps gives you before driving to a remote event, hers took her over a snow-topped mountain range in a 2011 Holden Barina with no snow chains, en route to Jindabyne. She signs off "Follow me for more travel tips", and Ollie echoes the format later "Follow us for more tips."

• Episode 284 - The Very Very Best Day

  FIRST APPEARANCE, coined live on air. Melissa: "I've got a new, I don't think you'd call it a segment, but I've got a new something that I might bring up regularly, which is Mel's tourism tips." She and Ollie then negotiate whether it qualifies - "I think the bar on the parkrun adventurers podcast for a segment is it has to last at least one week" - and she promises to find "some catchy music that's not a football theme song". This week's tip: do not rely on Google Maps to get you to the right parking spot and start line; read the event's own course page the night before for parking, public transport, toilets, taps, dog policy and whether you need trail shoes. Prompted by a Victorian parkrun chat group discussion and by Paul's recent tourism mishaps - a locked gate at Werribee Mansion parkrun and no toilets at Frankston.